Happy new year everyone.
Did you notice the subtle change at the end of the OP? I thought that was interesting.
I still don't know where the hell they are going with that national team subplot but so far it is well integrated into the story. I like how it echoes the theme of "whatever you do, make sure you have no regrets" which you can find elsewhere in the story.
Several might-be-subtly-pivotal moments are seen in this episode: Akaishi running around Akane, Akane and Aoba becoming closer, Aoba being confronted by Azuma's brother and a new reason for the team to aim for kōshien. And once again, the little changes in the anime adaptation made Aoba the clear central character of the episode.
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(Is it too much to hope for an extension to more like 56 episodes?)
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Here are some stats from previous long-running anime series based on Adachi's work:
Miyuki lasted 37 episodes (based on 12 manga volumes)
Touch lasted 101 episodes (based on 26 manga volumes)
Hi Atari Ryōkō lasted 48 episodes (based on 5 manga volumes - the anime greatly expanded the story)
H2 lasted 41 episodes (based on 34 manga volumes - the anime greatly reduced the story)
Cross Game is currently at 40 episodes.
The manga should end around 17 volumes.
Given that the translation to anime is close to what was done in Touch and Miyuki (mostly faithful with a few changes), it would be safe to expect around 60~70 episodes.
51+13 = 64 → I would expect at least another season unless the anime takes a huge shortcut. It could be done by reducing the amount of time dedicated to one match which really dragged out, both for the players and the readers, but I think the anime will keep on the current pace and adaptation policy.
Of course, this is nothing but unproven manga mathemagics; please don't rely too much on it.
I still bet on Kobukuro's "Sayonara HERO" as the final ED for the series. I though it would be the new OP for 2010 but it seems they'll keep "Summer Rain" all the way.